Was “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” the most anticipated movie of all time? It can’t quite compare with the hoopla when “Gone With the Wind” arrived in 1939 and an estimated 300,000 fans flooded Atlanta, many in antebellum outfits. Georgia’s governor declared a state holiday.

But the droids, rebel fighters and evil overlords of “The Force Awakens” were widely expected to take a hard run at the Hollywood history books, with Americans lining up around the block on Thursday night for the beginning of round-the-clock screenings.

Disney said the film had an estimated $57 million in ticket sales from showings that began on Thursday. An additional $72.7 million in international sales since the film began opening in world markets on Wednesday put the worldwide box-office receipts at about $130 million as the weekend began.

About 47 percent of the domestic sales came from 3-D screens, and about $5.7 million came from large-format IMAX screens.

“I came on opening night because I really, really, really did not want the plot spoiled before I had the chance to see it,” said Andrew Toscano, 24, a paralegal who turned up in full Jedi regalia at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 in Manhattan. He was among the more than 500 people lined up outside at 10 p.m. on Thursday.

Nostalgia drove others to brave the crowds. “These are people that occupied our imaginations when we were little,” said Matt Quinn, as he left a screening in Key West, Fla., dressed as Princess Leia, hair buns and all. “I felt an obligation.”

After the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., “The Force Awakens” arrived amid heightened security concerns, putting a clear damper on the frivolity in some cities. Theaters banned “Star Wars” weaponry. Hundreds of moviegoers were evacuated from the Grove Stadium 14 in Los Angeles after sirens went off as the movie began; it turned out to be a false fire alarm. At least eight police officers and uniformed security guards patrolled the lines at the Regal Cinemas Opry Mills 20 in Nashville, resulting in a line that was eerily calm despite the hundreds of eager fans waiting in it.

“Frankly, it’s ridiculous,” Allen Troxler, 41, said of the Opry Mills security as he stood in line with his family. “But these are the times we live in.”

Jeff Leet, also waiting for “The Force Awakens” to begin in Nashville, seemed more comforted by the security. “You can’t predict crazy,” said Mr. Leet, who is 36, noting that a co-worker had advised him to stay away from opening night and at least one friend had decided to wait until crowds had diminished to see the film.

That friend could be waiting for a while. Some analysts believe that “The Force Awakens,” the first new “Star Wars” movie in a decade, has a chance of becoming the best-selling movie in history. That record is considered to be held by “Avatar,” which took in roughly $3.1 billion worldwide in 2009, after adjusting for inflation, according to Rentrak, which compiles ticketing data.

Anthony DiClemente, a media analyst with Nomura, wrote in a research note early Friday after seeing the film: “We have incrementally higher conviction that its broad appeal to all audiences will make the film a box-office juggernaut for weeks to come.”

With an estimated $100 million in ticket presales for opening weekend in the United States and Canada, “The Force Awakens” has already broken the Hollywood record for a December release, blowing past “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which took in about $85 million in 2012.

Every “Star Wars” movie arrives amid deafening hoopla. When “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” opened in 1999, people camped outside theaters for up to six weeks. Fans from Europe and Asia booked trips to the United States rather than wait for the film to arrive in their countries in the following month. One estimate had two million workers in the United States leaving their jobs to see the movie. “The Phantom Menace” collected roughly $1.5 billion, after accounting for inflation.

One reason “The Force Awakens” could sell double the number of tickets: “The Phantom Menace” was considered to be a terrible movie, receiving a 41 percent positive score from top critics on RottenTomatoes.com, the review-aggregation site. “The Force Awakens” has a 91 percent positive score. As a result, fans may return more often for repeat viewings.

Consider Fhel and Leanne Dimaano of Long Island. They were standing in line on Thursday night at the Lincoln Square theater and had already bought tickets to return the next morning, for an IMAX screening. “I couldn’t get an IMAX ticket for tonight, and I heard the movie is so amazing, so I really want to see it on the biggest screen possible,” explained Mr. Dimaano, 33.

Mr. Leet said his goal was to see “The Force Awakens” 11 times in theaters.

“I saw ‘Phantom Menace’ 10 times in the theater, and I got wrapped up in the hype, and that’s pretty much the worst movie imaginable, so I can’t have that movie hold on to my record,” he said.

Still, some of the hype seemed overblown. Some theaters that scheduled screenings in the wee hours of Friday, supposedly to accommodate demand, saw light attendance.

It was quiet, for instance, at Arclight Cinemas in Santa Monica, Calif., as the sun rose on Friday — no lines, no vigils — although a few sleepy fans were stumbling out of early-morning screenings. Said and Shahin Maghloui had just seen the film twice, at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Their friend, Cristian Luongo, had only caught the 4 o’clock screening.

“There’s a lot of stuff to really dig into,” Said Maghloui, 17, offered as his review. Shahin Maghloui, 12, said Han Solo is “really awesome,” adding that he liked that the character (played by Harrison Ford) doesn’t rely on superpowers. All three — if their school schedules didn’t get in the way — planned to attend a giant lightsaber battle taking place later in downtown Los Angeles.

It may not have received an official state holiday, but “The Force Awakens” did at least garner at least one gubernatorial review. Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana, wrote on Twitter Thursday night after viewing the movie, “One word review: WOW.”